We adapt to our surroundings so quickly.
I had never been to the gym before, but when I started going 10 years ago I was amazed at how quickly my body started to adapt. You can make a noticeable difference in 3 weeks if you’re doing it consistently.
The shadow side of this adapting super power that we have is that it doesn’t take long before we go back to auto-pilot. If we consistently do the same thing day in and day out it becomes ordinary and we become bored and apathetic. Life is stagnant.
The problem with stagnant is that our happiness is derived from progress. Stagnant might be comfortable, but it doesn’t contribute to our happiness because we aren’t moving forward.
Some science: Your brain is wired to be very energy efficient because it uses the most amount of energy in your body. When you eat, your brain receives the fuel first and it uses the more fuel than the rest of your body. The less it works the less fuel it needs, so it’s survival mechanism is constantly looking for shortcuts. End of science.
Since we aren’t scavenging for food anymore, it’s not helpful to let our brains settle into auto-pilot. Changing your routine constantly keeps your mind open because it’s constantly re-wiring.
You can change your whole life if you want to, and it will change how you see the world completely. Or you can just add something new to your everyday:
- take a new route to work,
- eat different food,
- read a book instead of watch a movie (or vice versa),
- go to a new coffee shop,
- use cold water instead of hot in your shower
- find a new activity to do during your lunch break
Basically instead of allowing your programming to continuously search for what is most comfortable and familiar right now, you are looking for new stimulus to keep your curiosity alive.
Change your routine, change your life.
P.S. I have a love letter going out to my email list tomorrow. If you would like to receive it, sign up below.